Developer Makes The LG V30 Camera App Available On LG G6, And It Works

LG G6 wasn’t a hugely successful smartphone. It was almost completely overshadowed by Samsung’s Galaxy S8. But LG’s latest flagship V30 has all the ingredients to be successful. V30 is what the G6 should have been in the first place. The LG V30 camera features were well received at the IFA trade show. Now an Android developer has been able to port the LG V30 camera app to the G6. If you have purchased the G6, you can play around with the V30 camera on your device.

Image Source: LG.com (screenshot)

The LG V30 camera features now available on G6

XDA Developers community member xpirt was able to get their hands on a pre-production LG V30, take out its camera app, and optimize it to run on the LG G6. XDA Developers says the LG V30 camera was designed with photography enthusiasts in mind. Its rear dual camera setup consists of a 16MP standard angle lens with an f/1.6 aperture and a 13MP wide-angle lens with an f/1.9 aperture. The standard angle camera’s f/1.6 aperture allows it to capture more light and take better photos in low-light conditions than other smartphones.

The LG V30 camera mod created by xpirt includes all the existing LG G6 features as well as almost all the new V30 modes. All the Graphy features are fully functional. One thing missing from the ported Camera app is the Cine Mode. XDA Developers noted that it was original compatible only with Fulmics ROM for G6. But it has since been ported to all LG G6s that are on the stock ROM.

The port is free to download. However, you’ll need to root your LG G6 to be able to use it. Rooting the device would void your warranty, and might leave you with an unstable software. Fortunately, initial reports suggest that the ported app works just fine on the G6.

To install it, you’ll have to download the flashable ZIP file from XDA Developers. You have to flash the ported camera app through TWRP onto your rooted LG G6. It will replace the default camera app on LG G6 with the one that comes pre-installed on LG V30. It is entirely reversible, claims the developer. Xpirt says it could even be ported to older devices such as LG G5 and LG V20 with a little more modding.

Cine Mode kept out of the ported app

Why couldn’t the developer bring the Cine Mode to LG G6? Xpirt said it’s because the Cine Mode is hardware-dependent. It relies on the V30’s improved sensor.

The Cine Mode, which the ported app lacks, is one of the biggest highlights of the LG V30 camera. Cine Mode allows users to apply preset filters to their videos. Its Point Zoom feature allows you to zoom into any part of the frame you want. The Cine Log within Cine Mode captures a wide dynamic range and larger color gamut, giving you control over how your video looks.

The Graphy features and manual controls also included in the ported camera app. Graphy allows you to download different styles and presets from photographers and apply them to your own pictures. If you want to take advantage of Graphy features, you’ll have to download the Graphy APK file and sideload it onto the G6. Before you start sideloading it, make sure that you have toggled on the “Unknown Sources” option in Settings.

LG V30 features and specs

LG V30 is a beautifully designed phone. It comes with a 6-inch Quad HD P-OLED FullVision display with a 2880 x 1440 resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The phone supports HDR10 content (including Netflix HDR videos) and Always On mode. It has a metal and glass design. The V30 feels more premium than previous flagship phones by LG Electronics.

The LG V30 comes with military-grade MIL-STD 810G rigidity, meaning it can survive accidental drops and harsh conditions. The phone’s display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The V30 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset and 4GB RAM. It runs Android 7.1.2 Nougat out of the box. The device is available in 64GB and 128GB of internal storage, which you can expand by up to 2TB via a microSD card.

LG V30 promises to deliver an immersive audio experience with a Hi-Fi Quad DAC. It also supports the Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) technology, which allows for high-resolution audio streaming in small file sizes without any quality loss. The phone comes with an IP68 rating for water- and dust-resistance. It has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and facial recognition/voice recognition for security.

LG V30 price revealed. G6 gets a price cut

Surprisingly, LG hasn’t revealed the V30’s price tag. The device is set to go on sale on September 21 in South Korea. However, the Korean company seems to have accidentally confirmed its price in the US. LG Electronics is running a giveaway contest on its social accounts, where it’s offering up to three V30 units to customers. In the terms and conditions, the company says each V30 unit costs $749. It is unclear whether this is merely an approximate value or the actual price of the phone.

Meanwhile, LG G6 has received a major price drop ahead of the V30 launch. The smartphone is currently available on Amazon at $470, a $230 discount from its regular price of $700. However, this deal is good only on the unlocked black color version of the device. If you want the unlocked platinum version, you’ll have to shell out $550. The unlocked version would work with all the major carriers including T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T.

Author: Vikas ShuklaAlthough he has a background in finance and holds an MBA, Vikas Shukla is a technology reporter. He has a strong interest in gadgets, gizmos, and science. He writes regularly on these topics. - He can be contacted by email at vshukla@valuewalk.com